“At a time when our nation has a 30 percent dropout rate, another 30 percent of our kids will finish high school but without the skills they need for college or a career, at a time when we have those kinds of numbers in this kind of economy, its imperative that we be doing all we can to stop dropouts,” he said.

Wise’s group says more than 4,600 students in Louisville and 13 surrounding counties dropped out of the Class of 2008. Causes can including problems at home, deficient basic skills and a lack of engagement at school.

He spoke at a forum sponsored by the Boys and Girls Clubs of Kentuckiana.